Despite the many closures of public hospitals throughout the country no thorough studies have been made of the impact of such closures on the low-income populations who rely on public hospitals for their medical care. Furthermore, no adequate methodology has been developed to make such assessments feasible. The purpose of this project is to develop and test a methodology for determining changes of health care access and utilization by low-income persons as a result of the closure of a health facility. The project will develop a personal interview survey protocol for use in low-income neighborhoods. The survey will be used in combination with other methods to be developed and applied by the project (as part of other grant applications) to determine what effects the closure of a hospital and alternative arrangement for care (such as ambulatory care clinics or contracts with private hospitals) have on access and utilization of medical care by the poor. The survey and other methods will be tested in two California counties that have closed or are closing their public hospitals.